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Graham Spooner, Investment Adviser at The Share Centre, looks at last week’s top buys and this week’s top tips.

The Share Centre’s Customer top buys from the last 7 days

1. Vodafone – Dividend yield and recent weakness in share price attracts investors.

2. Lloyds Banking – Sector continues to attract interest on hopes that the worst may be over.

3. Quindell Portfolio – Share Centre high risk idea for 2013 and recent positive trading update.

4. Centamin – A trading update highlighting improved production eased recent fears over its position in Egypt.

5. Aviva – Broker upgrade on the back of recent asset sales.

The Share Centre’s top tips for this week

1. Compass Group (Lower risk) – Well managed food support service group. Longer term potential to return significant amounts of cash to shareholders should help underpin the share price.

2. Centrica (Lower risk) – Attractive yield, with the potential to return further cash to shareholders. The group have been cutting costs and improving its own gas supply line.

3. Vodafone – (Medium risk) – The shares fell off in the second half of 2012, making them look more attractive to investors who are looking for yield as well as the potential for some growth. There has been a suggestion in January that in the future there could be some corporate activity involving Verizon in the US, in which Vodafone has a large holding.

4. Prudential (Medium risk) – The company is well positioned to provide its products to the growing middle class in Asia,along with operations in the UK and US.

5. Amerisur Resources (Higher risk) – Oil exploration company with interests in Columbia and Paraguay. Its main operation is the Platanillo fields in Columbia, where production has recently started. There remain several other wells to be drilled in the near future. The company have been encouraged by initial tests, leading to hopes of more positive news this year.